"Music in Our Parks" composes pieces using the sounds of nature

After two years of planning, the New Music Ensemble at Grand Valley State University is launching a new project. It’s called “Music in Our Parks.”

The project shows us how nature and landscape affect the process of making music. Here's a video promoting their effort:

Bill Ryan is the director of Grand Valley State University’s New Music Ensemble. He was joined on our program by one of the members of the New Music Ensemble, percussionist and senior music performance major, Josh Dreyer.

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Grand Valley State University plans to reinstall a campus sculpture by December 6.

The sculpture was removed on September 17 because students began to ride it.

The 'riding-the-ball' trend was in response to Miley Cyrus's hit single "Wrecking Ball." In the video, Cyrus is naked and rides the wrecking ball as it swings back and forth.

Apparently, the Grand Valley ball was not up to the task. The University said the steel cable that the ball was hung from began to fray, and the sculpture was removed.

Michigan Radio's Lindsey Smith spoke with Tim Thimmesch, the associate vice president for facility services at GVSU. After the sculpture was removed Thimmesch said they would meet with "select students this week to get input on the best options to reinstall the piece."

“The intent is not for anybody to continue to use this as a ride. Again the intent will be to have this reinstalled as a scientific exhibit,” Thimmesch said.

And that's what we really want to know more about, right? The science behind this ball?

This week officials at Grand Valley State University will begin meeting to consider how to reinstall a sculpture that became the subject of several viral videos this month.

GVSU removed the steel pendulum a few weeks ago after several students posted videos online of friends trying to swing on the sculpture. The parodies of Miley Cyrus’ music video “Wrecking Ball” attracted national news media attention.

“It is somewhat of a fun story. It's college students being college students,” said Tim Thimmesch, associate vice president for facility services at GVSU.